Motorcycle bag support inserts

ABSTRACT

A plurality of supports for supporting flexible walls of motorcycle saddlebags including panels shaped to conform to front, rear, side, bottom and top walls of a motorcycle saddlebag. In one embodiment, a single resilient member extends along the front, bottom and rear wall.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application serial No. 60/468,723, filed on May 6, 2003. The priority of the prior application is expressly claimed and its disclosure is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates to motorcycle saddlebags, and in particular to inserts to support and shape bags made of leather.

[0003] Motorcycles often are equipped with saddlebags to provide some storage capacity for the riders. Each bag includes left and right sidewalls, front and rear walls, a bottom surface and a hinged top that can be buckled or strapped into place. Saddlebags are typically manufactured from leather, and while the material is relatively strong, it is not rigid. With time, and not very much time in certain instances, the bags deform under the weight of the items stored inside and begin to sag and lose their shape, detracting from their appearance. In particular, the bottom wall can sag under the weight of cargo, and the side and top walls typically bow inward.

[0004] This invention provides bag supports that can be fitted to new saddlebags to prevent deformation of the saddlebag, and can restore used bags to their original configuration. The invention includes multiple members that can be attached to various parts of the saddlebag. Preferred embodiments of the invention include a rail member that fits over the upper edge of the outer side wall of the bag. The invention can also include generally rectangular top, side and bottom support panels that are shaped to be installed on the respective portions of the bag.

[0005] These and other features of the invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006]FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a typical, soft saddle bag.

[0007]FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the bag shown in FIG. 1 with its top open.

[0008]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a side rail support according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0009]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the bag show in FIG. 2 with the side rail partially installed on the side wall of a bag.

[0010]FIG. 5 is a side view of bag shown in FIG. 1 with the side rail installed on the side wall.

[0011]FIGS. 6A and 6B are left and right front wall support panels according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0012]FIG. 6C is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of the invention.

[0013]FIGS. 7A and 7B are left and right rear wall support panels according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0014]FIGS. 8A and 8B are left and right front wall support panels according to a second preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0015]FIGS. 9A and B are left and right rear wall support panels according to a second preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0016]FIG. 10 is a plan view of a lid support panel according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0017]FIG. 11 is a top plan view of an alternative embodiment that includes a single elongate member for supporting the front, rear and bottom walls of the bag.

[0018]FIG. 12 is a side view showing the embodiment shown in FIG. 11 (in phantom) installed in the bag.

[0019]FIG. 13 is a top plan view of left and right bag rear panels for use with a Harley Davidson® Springer Model saddlebags.

[0020]FIG. 14 is a top plan view of left and right rear bag panels for use with a Harley Davidson® Springer Model saddlebags.

[0021]FIG. 15 is a top plan view of left and right bag lid panels for use with a Harley Davidson® Springer Model saddlebags.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0022] A typical saddlebag for a motorcycle is shown at 10 in FIG. 1, and includes a sidewall 12, a top cover 14, a front wall 16, a rear wall 18, and a bottom wall 20. In the embodiment shown the top is held in place with buckles 22 and 24. Top cover 14 can be raised to permit access to the interior of the bag as shown in FIG. 2.

[0023] According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the side wall 12 is supported by a rail member 26, shown in FIG. 3. The rail member 26 is a generally U-shaped member that is cut to length to fit the upper edge of the bag sidewall 12. The rail member is preferably formed of a thermoplastic, resilient material. It is installed by being pressed onto the top of sidewall 12 as shown in FIG. 4 until fully engaged on side wall 12 as shown in FIG. 5.

[0024] Turning to FIGS. 6-9, the invention includes left and right front and rear wall panels for each the left and right bag. In each instance, each pair of front and rear wall supports are mirror images of the other for use in the left and right bags. The front and rear panels are sized and shaped to provide an interference fit within the seams joining the front and rear walls to the respective side walls, eliminating the need to use adhesives to install the front and rear wall supports. In addition to providing easy installation, the panels can be removed from the bags if needed for cleaning the bag.

[0025] The front wall panels 28 and 30 depicted in FIGS. 6A and 6B respectively are sized and shaped for use with saddlebags provided by the Harley Davidson Corporation for its 1991-1999 Heritage Models. The panel 27 depicted in FIG. 6C is sized and shaped to fit the front and rear walls of Harley Davidson models manufactured before 1991, and is a trapezoidal shape that tapers toward the top. FIGS. 7A and 7B depict respective rear wall panels 32 and 34 for the same models. FIGS. 8A and 8B depict respective front wall panels 36 and 38 for 2000 and later Heritage models Harley Davidsons. FIGS. 9A and 9B depict respective rear wall panels 40 and 42 for the same models.

[0026]FIG. 10 depicts a support 44 for the lid 14 of bag 10, and is installed and held in place as shown in FIG. 4 with an adhesive. While any suitable adhesive can be used, a contact adhesive such as Eclectic E-6000 is preferred. Cyanoacrylate adhesives (super glues) are not preferred because they can saturate the bag material and damage the outer material surface. In preferred embodiments support 44 comes in three sizes to fit pre-1991 models, 1991-1999 models, and model year 2000 and later models, although the invention is not limited to any particular size.

[0027]FIG. 11 depicts an alternative embodiment of the invention wherein the front, bottom and side walls are supported by a unitary, elongate support 110. Member 110 is made of a resilient material, and is installed by being inserted into the bag and urged into contact with the front, rear and bottom walls as shown in phantom in FIG. 12. It is held in place by the upper seams 17 and 19 of front and rear walls 16 and 18 respectively.

[0028]FIGS. 13-5 illustrate another embodiment of the invention that is for use with Harley Davidson® Springer model saddlebags. In this embodiment, each panel is mounted in place using adhesives as described above.

[0029] While the invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments described above, the invention is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art will recognize that numerous changes can be made in detail and arrangement without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for supporting a motorcycle saddlebag having flexible side, front, rear, bottom and top walls, the apparatus comprising: a resilient planar front wall support having a peripheral surface selected to interlockingly engage a front wall peripheral seam; a resilient planar rear wall support having a peripheral surface selected to interlockingly engage a rear wall peripheral seam; and, an elongate member having a central channel adapted to receive a top edge of the first side wall.
 2. An apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising an adhesive selected to adhere the fourth planar support to an inner surface of the top wall.
 3. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein at least one said support is formed of a resilient polymeric material.
 4. An apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a fourth planar support having a length and width selected to support at least a portion of the top wall.
 5. An apparatus for supporting a motorcycle saddlebag having flexible side, front, rear, bottom and top walls, the apparatus comprising: a first resilient support having a longitudinal dimension and a transverse dimension selected to interlockingly engage the front, bottom and rear walls; and, an elongate member having a central channel adapted to receive a top edge of the first side wall.
 6. An apparatus according to claim 5 further comprising an adhesive selected to adhere the fourth planar support to an inner surface of the top wall.
 7. An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein at least one said support is formed of a resilient polymeric material.
 8. An apparatus for supporting a motorcycle saddlebag having flexible side, front, rear, bottom and top walls, the apparatus comprising: a first resilient planar front wall support having a major surface selected to engage the front wall; a second resilient planar rear wall support having a major surface selected to engage the rear wall; and, a third resilient planar top wall support having a major surface selected to engage the top wall.
 9. An apparatus according to claim 8 further comprising an adhesive selected to adhere the supports to an inner surface of the respective walls.
 10. An apparatus according to claim 9 wherein at least one said support is formed of a resilient polymeric material. 